White Chocolate and Orange Hot Cross Buns
Prep
20 mins
Cook
25 mins
Servings
12
Difficulty
Medium
Every Easter, I find myself craving something a little different from the traditional hot cross bun, so I created these beauties. White chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven, and the tartness of dried cranberries keeps everything perfectly balanced. The whole process takes just 45 minutes from start to finish, making these entirely doable on a busy morning. Plus, the orange zest brings wonderful vitamin C to the table while adding incredible fresh flavor. These buns are simple enough for a novice baker but impressive enough to serve guests, and honestly, they taste like you've spent hours in the kitchen when you really haven't.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 500 gstrong bread flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 10 gsalt
- 50 gcaster sugar
- 300 mlwarm milk
- 1egg(beaten)
- 40 gbutter(softened)
- 2orange zest(from fresh oranges)
- 150 gwhite chocolate chips
- 100 gdried cranberries(chopped)
- 30 mlhoney(for glaze)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the warm milk and beaten egg. Bring everything together with your hands until a shaggy dough forms, then knead in the softened butter and orange zest until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Tip: Warm milk helps the yeast activate faster, reducing overall rising time significantly.
- 2
Fold the white chocolate chips and chopped cranberries gently into the dough until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes until roughly doubled in size.
Tip: Fold ingredients gently to avoid breaking up the chocolate pieces too much.
- 3
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and arrange them on two lined baking trays, spacing them fairly close together so they touch slightly as they rise.
Tip: Placing them close together helps create those characteristic connected buns that pull apart easily.
- 4
Cover with a towel and leave to prove for about 30 minutes until they've puffed up and are touching each other. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Tip: You can prepare the cross paste while the buns are proofing to save time.
- 5
Mix 50g flour with 100ml water and a pinch of salt to create a paste. Transfer this to a piping bag or squeeze bottle with a small opening. Pipe crosses on top of each bun.
Tip: A squeeze bottle gives you more control than trying to pipe with a bag for this step.
- 6
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the buns are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the base. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the warm buns generously with honey for a glossy finish.
Tip: Applying honey while they're hot helps it absorb into the buns for better flavor and moisture.
Recipe Variations
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